Former superstar power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been officially divorced since 2019, but their legal battles have extended into the present day. The latest front is a lawsuit filed by Pitt against Jolie, involving the sale of a French winery the two owned that Pitt is claiming Jolie did not have the authority to make without him.
Now, TMZ reports that Pitt is suing to nullify the sale of Chateau Miraval, located in Correns, France to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler.
According to docs filed by Pitt's attorneys, the two bought the winery together back in 2008 for $28.4 million. Pitt admits Jolie paid 40% of the purchase price.
Pitt is now upset that Jolie apparently sold her stake without his authorization. Pitt says that he and Jolie had "an arrangement" that neither would sell the other's interest without the other's go-ahead.
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Jolie reportedly went to court last July to declare that she was selling her interest in Chateau Miraval, and even though Pitt gave permission to explore finding a potential buyer, he says he still maintains veto power over the deal, and that that power went unrecognized by Jolie.
Pitt says that the sale of Jolie's portion of the winery was kept from him on purpose, and that it's having negative effects on his ability to do business now.
(MICHEL GANGNE/AFP via Getty Images)
An unnamed source in Pitt's camp puts it like this:
"Unfortunately, this is another example of the same person disregarding her legal and ethical obligations. In doing so, she has violated the rights of the only person (Pitt) who poured money and sweat equity into the success of the business by purporting to sell both the business and family home to a third-party competitor…She is seeking a return on an investment she did not make and profits she did not earn."
Pitt is now suing not just to nullify the sale but undisclosed damages as well. Stay tuned…
